Typography editing in GIMP

[Deadshade]

I just started to play with typography in GIMP - filling letters, outlining , adding glow etc in order to learn something new.
However I don't like much the results.
Has anybody a link to a thread (perhaps even a tutorial) or a technical advice how to best realize letter editing in GIMP ?
Like :
- How do I change the interior color of letters ?
- What kinds of fonts are best adapted for editing ?
- How do I add an outline ? A glow ?

[Jaxilon]

All I can say here is that when I was using GIMP and per a few folks here I used "Inkscape" to do my lettering. I would just create a .jpg of my original work, import that into Inkscape, create a new layer and do all my labels on that. When finished I would then save/export the label layer at the same size as my Gimp image and paste that as a new layer back into Gimp. I found I had a lot more control over the labels and they looked a lot better. You can do some stuff in GIMP for labels but to me Inkscape was better.

I know way back when I was starting here there was some discussion about this and there may even be a tutorial of some sort but I'd have to dig for it. It may have just been in one of my earlier works where someone explained it to me. If you are lost with it I will try to help you through it although I'm pretty much using Photoshop for everything these days myself.

I hope it helps.

Also, Torstan did a nice simple ditty on making labels on his dA account. Not sure if that's here as well but I couldn't find it quickly.

[Deadshade]

Thanks.
I have been here lesss than 3 months but I had already to learn from scratch 4 softwares what lead to a RAM overload.
So I hoped that with GIMP, Wilbur, Fractal Terrains and World Machine I would be able to realize anything.
But OK I just installed a fifth one - Inkscape. Superificially it looks to 90% like GIMP.
What can it do that GIMP can't and is it Worth to learn one more completely new software ?

I already tried the search function here with "typography", "labels editing" etc but no relevant hit.
If you could find what you vaguely remembered, it would help.

Btw I avoided Photoshop not so much because of money but because of the utterly unreadable chaotic jungle of versions, packages, licences, options and tariffs.
If I wanted just to buy a copy to replace GIMP for map making, what kind of thing I should buy and how much does it cost ?

[Azélor]

Thanks.
I have been here lesss than 3 months but I had already to learn from scratch 4 softwares what lead to a RAM overload.
So I hoped that with GIMP, Wilbur, Fractal Terrains and World Machine I would be able to realize anything.
But OK I just installed a fifth one - Inkscape. Superificially it looks to 90% like GIMP.
What can it do that GIMP can't and is it Worth to learn one more completely new software ?

I already tried the search function here with "typography", "labels editing" etc but no relevant hit.
If you could find what you vaguely remembered, it would help.

Btw I avoided Photoshop not so much because of money but because of the utterly unreadable chaotic jungle of versions, packages, licences, options and tariffs.
If I wanted just to buy a copy to replace GIMP for map making, what kind of thing I should buy and how much does it cost ?

This seems overly complicated! You should be able to do most of the stuff with one software (although I also use more than one!). Each are different and are good in different areas. Raster programs don't handle text as well as vector program but they do the job just fine most of the time.

Does the link Jaxilon provided was able to help you?

[Deadshade]

Not really - it is just a few lines about basic Photoshop.
It doesn't answer the why of Inlscape either even if it would seem natural to me that a vector software would be good to work with geometrically simple beings like letters.

I realize that this is not rocket science but as what I get by playing with GIMP is rather ugly, I assume that there are a few tricks that make the process faster and easier.

[Freodin]

It doesn't answer the why of Inlscape either even if it would seem natural to me that a vector software would be good to work with geometrically simple beings like letters.

Basically, that is the point. When you want to deal with outlines and such, of course a program based on lines (curves) is better for doing that.

I realize that this is not rocket science but as what I get by playing with GIMP is rather ugly, I assume that there are a few tricks that make the process faster and easier.

Perhaps you could show us what you are trying to do and what kind of results you got (ugly or not, who cares? ).

That would make it easier for us to understand what you are looking for, and perhaps figure out how to do it.

[Deadshade]

Basically, that is the point. When you want to deal with outlines and such, of course a program based on lines (curves) is better for doing that.


Perhaps you could show us what you are trying to do and what kind of results you got (ugly or not, who cares? ).

That would make it easier for us to understand what you are looking for, and perhaps figure out how to do it.

Good idea, I should have thought about it first
Labels.jpg

On this map I labelled normally by putting the labels (in black with a little blur) on free, light places.
Then I wanted to try to find out how to put them on darker places with features.
So on the SE hills I wanted to do light with bluish glow (using drop shadows in GIMP because there is apparently no direct function for outer glow or if there is, I didn't find it).
Ugly as I said.
The contrast , the blur, the consistence - nothing is right to my eye.

[johnvanvliet]

although Gimp and Photoshop can place text and can place text on a curve / segment

you really can not beat InkScape for labeling things

this is one of the things it was DESIGNED to do from the start

with a photographic editor it as a , well it also can do after thought .


however for everyday adding text , using Gimp is just fine

but for complex labeling the best tool would be inkscape

[johnvanvliet]

i could "recreate the wheel " and make a gimp and text tutorial

BUT
just type this into google search
"gimp tutorial curved text"
the second hit is a video
-- warning - a very thick Russian( ish) ? ascent
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XULoT5rTCYE


basically make a new transparent layer
place the text on that

and use the layer select tool
example
the first is normal, the second one is "Divide"



but
the advantage of Inkscape is that the text IS A SVG!!!! layer
that SVG part is very important ( Scalable Vector Graphic )


as to a "glow" gimp has a built in "Alien Glow" ( as in the movies )
it is in the "alpha to logo" scm section of the filters
the color is adjustable

but the GREEN can be fun
-- example a "splash screen" i use for the program Celestia , this is a EXTREME glow and very 1979

[Deadshade]

Thanks Freodin and Johnvanvliet.

Indeed you added both to the Learning curve .
Don't forget that I have only spent about 2 months on GIMP with a few hours here and there per month.
That's why when I do a map like this one, it is not to do a map but to try out a maximum of different buttons I have never clicked on and to understand what they do (for example I have already tested multiply but not yet divide)
Of course I am aware that there are surely megatons of forums and sites where hundreds of buttons and tricks are explained but I have simply not yet spent enough time to find them .

That's the advantage of this board - one can get concentrated knowledge coming from people who have 100s of hours spent with the software.